We were anxious to get going but over slept and didn’t leave the hotel until after 9:30. It is almost an hour drive to Glacier National Park and initially we had difficulty figuring out how to purchase tickets for the Red Bus Tour. Eventually we figured it out. The problem stems from the fact the company that runs the bus tour is a concessioner and their tickets are only sold either over the internet or at the two hotels they run in the Park. Our advice is to buy the tickets over the internet. We really didn’t get much choice of tours and we signed up for a 7 hour tour starting at 1:30. In the meantime we couldn’t help but notice it was really very hazy. Just our luck, great viewing country but no views thanks to the haze. You could make out the outlines of the mountains OK but until you got fairly close, not much else. Later we found out it was smoke from the Washington fire and because of the elevation the smoke was trapped in the Park.

At 1:30 the Red Bus showed up at the hotel where we bought tickets and it was already full. The bus has a completely open top and the seats sit three or four abreast. Great for sightseeing. The seat directly behind the driver was occupied only by a woman whose husband was sitting in the front passenger seat and she insisted she sit in the middle of the seat so she could talk with her husband. We sat on either side of her.

Unfortunately the write up for the tour does not mention there will be numerous stops along the way for walking tours that go from just a few feet, OK, to up to a mile plus. Neither Sue nor George can walk any distance up a steep hill, George because of his legs and Sue thanks to her knees. The other thing we found out is there are very limited places to drive, mostly there is a single narrow two lane road, Going to the Sun, that traverses the Park and that is all. We had expected the bus to drive over roads that were not generally accessible to the general public. That didn’t happen. What did happen was a zillion cars and trucks were driving on the only road and it was nearly impossible to get a parking spot at any the viewing areas and that is because of two reasons, too many cars allowed on the road and the viewing turn offs are also trailheads for hiking trails. In my opinion, Glacier National Park is a great place for hiking and camping but for general sightseeing it leaves something to be desired. It is beautiful but you can’t stop to enjoy and soak up the majestic beauty. There are hundreds of waterfalls, some right on the road, some many miles away. It really is beautiful country. Even at this time of the year there is a lot of snow on the mountains but it isn’t that cold. We are still wearing shorts but George is wearing a sweatshirt.

The bus stopped at almost the end of Going to the Sun at a restaurant so we could get something to eat. It turned out that was great because we were delayed about an hour before returning to the starting point. It was fortunate because, a) the traffic was greatly diminished and b) because the animals had come out to forage. At Logan Pass we saw an entire herd of big horn sheep feasting on the grass and flowers alongside the parking lot. Further on down four mountain goats were having dinner at a viewing spot and, later, the bus actually was able to stop in the road by a waterfall that went under the road because there was no one behind him.

We were dropped off at the truck at a few minutes after 8 and headed back to the hotel for a G&T. Again George went to bed before 10.

Flowers at Lake McDonald Lodge	Big Red Bus
Lake McDonald Lodge	One of many Cascades
Mountains with Glacier	Big Horn Sheep
Cascade from bus	Restored boat

There was no need to get up early, we had reservations on the 1:30 boat ride out of the Lake McDonald Lodge and the smoke was still very heavy. After breakfast we drove over to the Park and joined the crowd trying to get in. Once in the Park we drove over to the Lodge. The smoke was actually worse today and it was difficult to see across the lake. Forget looking at the mountains. We just sat down by the boat dock and people watched for an hour before going in the Lodge for lunch. The lodge is magnificent. It is constructed of rough cut hewn logs and is huge. Lunch was OK.

By the time we finished lunch the wind had come up. The Lake had gone from flat to white caps. No problem the old beautifully restored boat was over 40 long. The real problem was the smoke, visibility was extremely poor. After the boat trip we returned to the hotel but stopped for some wine, cheese and crackers at the local Safeway.

I really like Montana; not only does their gas not contain ethanol but they seem to be conservation friendly. Bottled water is not sold in the Park; before the prohibition the vast majority of their trash was plastic water bottles. Now they provide lots of places to fill your own water bottle. The hotel does not use plastic knives, forks and spoons. The also do not use paper cups or plates; they do use real metal eating utensils, china coffee mugs and china bowls and plates. Wonderful.

We were up before 8 and ready to leave the hotel a little after 9. We decided that we would not cut through the Park but take the long way around and go up the east side of the Park. That was a mistake; it took forever. The good news is the smoke has diminished but the sky cover is solid clouds. The plan was to stop in St Mary and fill up with gas and have a nice breakfast. By the way, Montana, does not add ethanol to their gas and it is really noticeable. Anyway, when we got to St Mary the price of gas had jumped a dollar a gallon, so we didn’t stop.

It took us about a half hour to enter Canada and they confiscated my pepper spray. No big loss. As usual there was a very long line waiting to enter the US. Once we cleared customs/immigration it was still a long way to our hotel in Calgary. We were surprised at how flat the terrain is; it is really flat without a trace of a hill in any direction. And there are huge fields with a bright yellow plant growing that is obviously cultivated. Some of the fields are at least a mile square. Later Sue found out they were canola plants and that they are the source of canola oil.

A little before 3 PM we entered Calgary. I used to think the Massachusetts drivers were the worse drivers in the world but I now know they don’t hold a candle to the Calgary drivers. They are crazy and very inconsiderate. We almost had two crashes in about 15 miles; both times I was traveling the posted limit in heavy traffic, had on my directional lights and there was no one in the lane I was changing to. Both times the car behind me pulled out and shot pass me as I was pulling into the lane.

We did manage to arrive safely at the hotel but I hope we will walk to dinner this evening. We did, only a couple of blocks to Phil’s. Our comment is food is expensive, 2 simple sandwiches and two cokes costs $35.

When we got up, later than usual, it was raining. After breakfast it was still raining but it was time to head for Banff. It was an easy drive on the Trans-Canada Highway but at times in teeming rain. Just before we got to Banff we purchased our Park Pass for the 3 days we were to be there, $34. We were in Banff before 11, long before check-in time so we drove around town and stopped at a bank to change US dollars to Canadian dollars. The bank is the only place where you get the exchange rate, everyone else treats US dollars as Canadian dollars. Banff is a small, beautiful alpine town and it is cold, only 54 degrees. The town is several blocks long and three or four blocks wide but is extremely well cared for. There are also tens of thousands tourists, mostly orientals, and the shops all use oriental symbols to promote their wares. Before we left to sightsee for the day, I filled up on gas. Gas is very expensive – approximately $4.69 a gallon vs $3.61 (or less) in Montana.

Rt 1A, the Bow Valley Parkway, is designated as a scenic route and goes from just north of Banff to Lake Louise so we took the slow scenic route. It was OK but the view was spoiled by the low hanging clouds left over from all the rain. We could see parts of the mountains but their tops disappeared into the clouds.

From there we went to Lake Louise. Our first impression was what a zoo, zillions of people and millions of vehicles. I am not sure just how many very large parking lots there are but there are several. All were jam-packed. Thank goodness I have my handicapped hanger. Even so it was a long walk to the lake.

It is amazing that such a small lake has such a big reputation. Yes, we could see two glaciers off in the distance. The day was overcast so the water looked a tannish green. The hotel is just another modern high rise. We were not impressed.

One of the things that did impress us were the number of RVs that were rented or leased from CanaDream. I’d guess they are 35 feet long and a little wider than my pickup. We have seen hundreds of them. It looks to us that families with young children are their primary users and we’d guess it is a great way to take your family on vacation. It is also interesting to watch them try to park in a normal car space. Mom certainly gives a lot of hand signals. Watching them try to back out is even more fun.

After Lake Louise we went over to Lake Moraine which I found more interesting than Lake Louise. The lake is nestled in among 7 mountains. Again it is quite small but it is a pretty lake.

By this time it was almost 3 and we headed for the hotel. Again, interesting. Like last night the parking is enclosed below the hotel. The problem is the height restriction; 5’6” and I need at least 6’2”. There are 2 parking spaces outside, we got one of them.

For dinner we drove into town and ate at the St James Gate Irish Pub. The food was good and, when measured by New York AT&T standards, we had a good dinner, the booze price exceed the food price.

Sue at Lake Louise	Lake Moraine

The breakfast room is very small for the number of rooms and was crowded but we got our coffee and were on our way. The first tour was the Tunnel Mountain Loop around the City. Not much to see. Next was the Minnewanka Loop to the east on the other side of the highway. It was a nice drive and the lake itself is large but manmade. We continued on the loop to Two Jacks Lake, a small but beautiful lake, by far the prettiest of the lakes we’ve seen so far.

Next stop was back toward Lake Louse at the Vermilion Lakes. Really not much to see and we just drove through and back out.

Then we returned to the Bow Valley Scenic Parkway. Hopefully this time we would have better views. We did. From what I can see the Canadian Rocky Mountains are different from the US Rockies. The Canadian Rockies are very jagged and there are many more peaks in close proximity. Also the tree line appears to be much lower therefore the tops of the mountains are barren, no growth at all. In addition water falls are few and far between. Where as in Glacier there were hundreds of cascades in narrow shuts, here there is nothing but rock.

As we were coming around one of the corners there were a couple of cars stopped in the middle of the road. When we stopped we could see they were watching a very young bear club forage on the side of the road. Sue tried to get a picture of him but he kept on going behind a bush or into a bush to get his snack.

Sue wanted to see the Upper Hot Springs just outside of Banff so we drove up there but couldn’t find a place to park. In one parking lot a long CanaDream RV was parked with most of the back of the RV in the roadway. I was just able to shoehorn the truck between his rear and the cars parked in the center row. Neither he nor the two cars parked on the other side of the road will be able to back out. The RV is going to have to wait until the two cars can drive out forward after the three cars in front of them move. Lots of Luck.

Next we drove over to the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. This is what the Lake Louise Hotel ought to look like. It is a beautiful old, multistory, stone hotel with turrets. Gorgeous. On our way back to town we stopped at the Bow Falls where we did find a parking space.

When we were back in town I dropped Sue off so she could do some shopping while I returned to the hotel to try to catch up on the web page.

Two Jacks Lake	Castle Mountian
Bear Cub	The Fairmount Banff Springs Hotel

We were up early and after a quick breakfast were ready to head out. First I had to free the truck from its parking space; it was hemmed in by a small car. I was lucky and got it out in one try. Then full up the gas tank with expensive Canadian gas and we were on our way. Although we found out later in the day the price of gas in British Columbia is even higher at $1.48 per liter or $5.60 a gallon.

The first leg, about 60 miles, is through the mountains crossing once again the Continental Divide. It is a very lonely drive. It wasn’t until the end that we had another vehicle going in the same direction as we were going and then it was two motor cycles. Along the way we saw some big horn sheep feeding on the grass along the side of the road. It was all downhill from Banff and it wasn’t long before we crossed into British Columbia. The road is a two lane road all the way to Coeur d’Alene and except for the very first leg, was through one small town after another. For the most part the speed limit was 55 MPH and we didn’t make very good time.

One of our observations is that there are an awful of bicyclist riding up and down the mountains. Most have saddle bags on both the front and back of their bikes but some, actually quite a few, are pulling a small trailer with their gear, dog or baby inside. Sue and I are exhausted just watching them.

There are also hundreds of motorcycles; mostly couples on one bike. Some are in large groups, some individuals. The good thing about a motorcycle is that you can generally find a place to park the bike and it looks like a lot of fun driving the twists and turns while going up or down.

We crossed into the US a little after noon Mountain Time, or 11 AM Pacific Time. I had expected clearing Customs to take about an hour but we managed to get into the US in about 20 minutes. That left us with a two hour drive to the hotel.

Sue wanted to stop to get something to eat. No problem. About an hour out of Coeur d’Alene we stopped for lunch at Sweet Lou’s Restaurant, a neat restaurant in the middle of nowhere. Sue ordered a “Grilled Cheese sandwich for Adults” which had several kinds of cheese, tomato, bacon and spices. She loved it. I had a turkey club that was almost too much to eat. All at a reasonable price.

We found the hotel without any problem and checked in a little after 2 PM Pacific time. Our last 25 hour day on this trip; on the way back we will have 23 hour days. Then we took a quick tour of Coeur d’Alene. Again a very nice small city but no place to park. The hotel we are staying at has a restaurant and lounge which is where we ate.

The really good news is that we stay on Pacific time for almost two weeks. That should help with getting used to getting up in the morning and going to bed in the evening. It also doesn’t hurt that the temperature should be more to our liking, warm.

Today’s trip is one of the shortest ones, only 230 miles and mostly on the Interstate. We had a leisurely breakfast and headed out about 10. It wasn’t long before we were in Washington and the Columbia Plateau. The Columbia Plateau is as flat as it gets and is basically uninhibited. There are a few farms and there is a lot of land under cultivation but there is also lot of “open land”. As we drew close to the Columbia River the road took a nose dive and dropped several hundred feet then immediately rose back up. Maybe that is why they call it the Columbia River Gorge.

Just before we turned off I-90 we saw a huge windmill field. At first I guessed there about 50 large, three blade windmills but as we kept going, there were more and more windmills. Then a little while longer we could see another huge field of windmills. The one thing we do know is that there is a lot of wind in South Dakota, Montana, Idaho and now Washington. In the flat lands it is easy to spot where the farm houses are, there are trees planted as a wind brake around them Even at the Rest Stops there are wind fences on two sides of the picnic benches.

Hay is still dominant. Only now instead of stacking huge rounds of hay in the field (a stack could be several hundred feet long and four, or even five, rounds high), the bails (huge squares, maybe 10 feet long, 5 feet wide and 5 feet high) are stored in Quonset hut like structures. The structure is just the frame or skeleton and is as long as you’d like it, several hundred feet, and probably 30 or 35 feet tall. The skeleton is then wrapped in tarps, generally in alternating colors. Most of the time there are a collections of these storage huts.

The other thing we noticed is that were there are hills, rivers or lakes, there are people, lots of people. But when it is just flat open land without any apparent water, the land is basically uninhabited with the exception of large farms or ranches.

We arrived at our hotel in downtown Yakima a little after 2 and checked-in. After we were settled we wanted to find the Gilberts Cellars tasting room. The desk clerk gave us the wrong directions but eventually we figured it out and found the store. Most interesting and I expect this is what we will run into from the next couple of weeks. The wineries on longer give you a free taste of their wine; now you purchase a sample or “flight”. A sample was an ounce of five featured different wines and a flight was a slightly larger portion of three different wines you select. We chose the sample and tasted five wines, 2 white and 3 reds. The first wine was a Riesling that was as dry as it was wonderful. We really should have bought a bottle but didn’t. We also very much enjoyed their 2011 Allobroges, a blended red wine. The wines were all good but those two stood out in our opinion.

While I have 7 vintners on my list to visit tomorrow, I suspect if we visit three we will have had too much to drink. We have agreed that a picnic is in order.

There was no need to get up early as Zillah is only 20 miles down the road; besides we wanted to eat at somewhere other than the hotel. It wasn’t easy, but eventually we found a place that serves breakfast, Mel’s Dinner. After breakfast we headed for Zillah and the small wineries located there.

The GPS took us back in the hills to the Two Mountain Winery, a really small winery, where the very friendly and helpful attendant not only suggested wines but told us which wineries to visit. Of course we bought our first bottle of wine from her, a very nice Sauvignon Blanc. Next was Cultura Wine where we met the owner of the very tiny winery. He specializes in red wines and produces fewer than 600 cases a year. He has some very nice but hugely expensive wines; way more than we could afford He recommended we go to J Bell’s, not really a small winery, so we did. Their wines were OK but didn’t turn us on. Next was Silver Lake Winery, a relatively large winery. The tasting room is located on the top of a hill and they have some very nice white wines. Again we bought a bottle, Pinot Gris this time. By that time it was getting late and we decided just one more stop, Portteus Winery. They are a large winery with a gravel road that twists and turns through their vineyards and leads to the tasting room, a converted barn that was also used as a warehouse. They have a huge selection of wines. After tasting three of his reds I selected a blended red that incorporated five Bordeaux wines. I really liked it, Rt 66 Red. Now it was time to head for Walla Walla.

The only problem we had was trying to find a spot to have a picnic, there weren’t any. There were no rest areas along the way and no place we would have felt comfortable having cheese and crackers or good a French bread and either wine (probably not with all the wine tasting) or a can of Pepsi. It is too bad one of the tasting rooms doesn’t offer a cheese and cracker platter at a nominal fee along with their tasting.

Once again Sue and I were surprised by the landscape. It is barren except for where it is irrigated. For the most part the rolling hills are a light tan; they are on the east side of the mountains and it is very arid. It looks strange, every now and then there are areas that are nice and green but the green abruptly stops and the tan takes over. When we were driving through the vineyards we couldn’t help but notice that the vines are green but the soil they sit on is dirt with no green anything growing. The same thing seems to be true in the orchards, beautiful trees but dusty soil beneath.

As we were getting closed to Walla Walla we couldn’t help but notice the mile after mile of windmills sitting on the ridge. I’m not sure how many windmills but think of line of windmills stretching five or six miles.

We arrived at the hotel a little after 4 and were given a huge room. The hotel recommended 4 restaurants in town. Sue decided on the Whitehouse-Crawford because it was convenient to parking. When Sue tried to make the reservation she was told the only reservation available at a reasonable hour was at the bar. That was OK with us.

When we arrived the restaurant was mostly empty but we were seated at the very end of the bar; not a regular bar that serves alcohol, but a long bar overlooking the open kitchen. Our seats were in front of the sous chef and her huge wood burning, fire oven/stove. It looks more like an oven than a stove and you could see flames rising at the back of the oven. Think of a very large pizza oven. By far the best seats in the house.

The sous chef, Loraine, and her helper, Josh, were very friendly, she more than he and it was very interesting to see them work as a team; actually it was a pleasure. Each seemed to know exactly what needed to be done and went about their business quickly but not at all rushed. If they had a question, they quietly conferred with each other. Both of us were caught off guard when time after time Loraine went through her supply of filets to make sure each of the ones she was preparing were equal in all aspects. It was also intriguing to see the wait staff confer with Loraine about specific requests or, in one case, a customer make a special request. Every main dish started and ended with them. Sue and I were fascinated. Actually there was only one other person behind the bar, the woman who prepared the appetizers and she didn’t interfere with Loraine or Josh. George was also surprised to see the pot washer gather the used frying pans every few minutes and bring clean ones shortly afterward. Dinner was superb but expensive.

There really was no need to get up early. It turns out downtown Walla Walla has hundreds of wine tasting rooms scattered around down town but most don’t open until 11. We did sleep late and almost missed breakfast. Well, almost missed a thousand kids screaming their lungs out. That is another one of our observations. It seems the Hampton Inns have an awful lot of families as guests, much more so than the Best Westerns. I think the reason is the amount of food the children and parents eat at breakfast plus the pool. It is not unusual to see a parent or child with a plate containing several pancakes or waffles, a huge serving of scrambled eggs, several sausages and a bowl of fruit salad. And once that is gone go back for seconds. Anyway because we were so late the breakfast room was filled with screaming kids.

About 10:45 we left for downtown and found a parking spot not too far from where we wanted to go. The first place we stopped at, Tero Estates, was already crowded with a group of five, one tattooed woman and four guys – she was doing the buying. The attendant, the only male attendant we saw all day, was serving 7 wines and the cost was $5 per person. His wines were nice and he’d keep a bottle for you while you continued on your tour of town. We bought a nice blended red. The next tasting room we stopped at, after by passing several, sold very expensive wines, nothing less than $50 a bottle. I have to admit they were very nice wines but my palate really isn’t that discerning. However Sue and I are impressed with the friendliness of the attendants. Each really wants to chat with you especially after asking the question, “Where are you from?” and we answer Florida. Again we tasted six or seven wines, all deep, heavy reds. Two places and 13 or 14 wines in an hour is a lot of wine first thing in the morning.

It was after noon and we found a funky restaurant on the main street, the Olive, where we could take a break. Very different – they have a series of huge black boards behind two cash registers that act as their menu. You tell the cashier what you want to order, pay her and she gives you a number to display on any vacant table you choose. A server will eventually find you and bring you your order. It turns out that this set up is the norm and we ran into several more times. Sue and I shared a cheese plate to accompany our iced tea. Just right.

After lunch we crossed the street to the shady side, it is now already almost 90 degrees, to continue our wine tasting. We were crossing the street with a girl that had purple hair with bright red streaks. At the same time a girl on the other side with the wildest legging was crossing on her skate board toward us. As she approached purple hair, she wolf whistled and shot past.

The next tasting room we went into, again being very selective, had nothing but very expensive wines. Learning, we bought only one tasting and shared our “pours”. That also helps in keeping you sober. Again their wines were wonderful. I think the biggest surprise we are having is the dryness of the Rieslings; they are really lovely wines, dry, crisp and cool. (Unfortunately we didn’t purchase one during the entire trip and we should have.)

Sue had noticed a tasting room for the wine we had last night and that was next on our schedule. The attendant had already sold out two of their wines but the Sauvignon Blanc we had last night was still available. We tasted her five remaining wines and bought a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. Once again Sue and I agreed we had had enough to drink before driving the truck back to the hotel but we did want to taste the wine from a vintner, El Corazon, that the guy in the first place highly recommended. So we got in the truck and went looking for the tasting room. It was really a very far-out place with lots of bead curtains, etc. Certainly not in the high rent district and surprisingly no odor of pot. The attendant was very nice and poured us several tastes with a heavy hand. She had a new Sauvignon Franc that was really very nice but only $35 (as compared with the $75 and up). We bought it. We were also told to keep it down for a couple of years and let it grow. Maybe?

Another observation. Most of the folks out wine tasting were young people, twenties and early thirties, with only a few of us “older” folks. It appears to us the younger crowd in this part of the world has discovered wine.

It may have been only 2:30 but we both had enough to drink and returned to the hotel, George to nap (the first of the trip) and Sue to read before napping. However we needed to make reservation for a few more nights first. Reservations are getting hard to get even days in advance. It took Sue several tries to get us reservations in Oregon and California. The hotels we had planned to stay at were all sold out. We did get reservations though and are pretty much set until we leave Yosemite except for one night somewhere along the Oregon coast.

We were up fairly early and after a quick cup of coffee were on our way about 7:30. The ride down to Mount Hood was mostly through barren land with a strange but beautiful landscape. The hills are really cliffs and you can see the layers of different colored strata; true rugged beauty. It is all basically an earthy brown but there are dozens of shades in the hills. Again it is very arid and the only green you see is where they irrigate. About an hour or so east of Portland the landscape changes dramatically, it becomes mostly very tall evergreen trees and the hills become mountainous.

Shortly after leaving Walla Walla we saw the first of several of the three bladed windmill propellers being transported on flatbed trucks with an escort both in front and behind the prop. The prop itself must to ten in diameter at the base and 65 to 70 feet long. They are huge. Over the course of the day we must have seen close to a dozen props and many sections of their base being transported.

After leaving Walla Walla we eventually picked up the Columbia River and followed it west. The river is magnificent. For the most part it is wide, think in terms of a good half mile or more, with dams every now and then. For long stretches the railroad tracks run alongside the river and the highway alongside the railroad. I’ll bet the distance from the river bank to the far side of the road is less than 100 yards. And, for the most part the far side of the highway is a very steep cliff going straight up 100 feet or so.

We eventually found a place to get breakfast. Gas stations and convenience stores are scarce but restaurants even more scarce. We ended up at a truck stop. The restaurant was housed in the gas station/convenience store building and was by far the larger part of the building. It really was a trucker’s restaurant but he breakfast was good, very good. We both had omelets and they were huge. George managed to finish his but Sue couldn’t.

We turned off I-84 to take the scenic route around Mount Hood. We had been able to see Mount Hood for miles before we turned off and started climbing. Unfortunately there are no real turnouts to view the mountain. There are any number of places to leave your vehicle to hike or camp but, because of the tall trees, any view of the mountain is blocked. The only time we could really see Mount Hood was when the road in front of us lined up with the view. Other than that you are out of luck. The scenic route we took was lovely and twisted and turned going up and down for mile after mile. At the southernmost point we turned on to Rt 26, a multilane speedway. Well the posted speed limit was 55 but everyone was doing 65 or better and we were holding up the extremely heavy Sunday afternoon traffic returning to Portland.

The Columbia River Gorge	Mount Hood

We arrived at the hotel around 2 PM but the room wasn’t ready. A little after 3 when the new desk clerk came on duty our room was changed to a room that was ready. Sue took the opportunity to do laundry while George caught up the web page. George is very tired and went to bed early. He is not feeling all that well.

We over slept, if that is possible on vacation, and almost missed breakfast. About 10:30 we headed for Dundee and the many wineries there. Dundee is known for its excellent pinot noir. I had hoped to find the Town Information booth and revaluate my selection on vintners, most are only open weekends. We couldn’t find the Chamber of Commerce so we went for it even though we were not sure which ones would be open on Monday. The first place we stopped, Evening Land Vineyards, just happened to be on the list and that set the tone for the day. It had to be the most expensive winery in Dundee by far. The shared tasting fee was $20 and the least expensive wine was $27.50 with all others well over $50 with a couple of wines over $200 a bottle. For our $20 we were entitled to taste 7 wines, all very nice but out of our price range. The attendant, a very welcoming and helpful lady, also gave us a taste of two exceptional wines and we could taste the difference in those wines. We ended up buying a bottle of their least expensive red wine, a wonderful pinot noir.

Next we drove up the side street a little ways to the Hyland Estates Winery. There was a large tour group there and the place was mildly crowded but we found our way to the tasting bar where we were greeted by a very friendly lady who asked the usual question, “Where are you from?”. When Sue answered “Florida, north of Orlando.” She asked “Mount Dora?” It turned out she and her husband had retired to Mount Dora and lived in the Country Club before moving back to Oregon due to family concerns. We had a long conversation with her while tasting their wines. She had 6 wines to taste, any of which I could have taken home, and we ended up buying a very nice red wine.

By now George needed lunch, 13 wines before lunch was almost too much. However there was some construction of Rt 99, the main artery through Dundee, with very heavily backed up traffic and he didn’t want to have to make two lefts across traffic, when he could make just one if we went down the road to the Duck Pond Winery first. Duck Pond is how we originally discovered the Willamette Valley a number of years ago. Duck Pond has some very nice, and relatively inexpensive, white wines. Again the very nice attendant there poured us the six regular featured wines plus a very special wine. Sue really likes their pinot gris and we purchased two bottles. That brings the tasting up to 20 wines before lunch. Figure a couple of ounces a taste and that is a lot of wine.

The Red Mill Market had been recommended for lunch and we knew where it was, so off we went. Very interesting. It is a very much an upscale grocery market that does a whale of a deli lunch business. Both Sue and George had great sandwiches and cokes; they had had enough wine.

After lunch we went to the wine tasting room that has what George considers the best view of the Dundee Hills and their vineyards, Erath Winery. They also have wonderful wines, most of which are not available in Florida due to the limited production. Once again the helpful attendants made us feel at home as we tasted 7 more wines. George knows he can buy the pinot noir at Total Wine but cannot buy their white wines. Sue really liked their pinot gris and we ended up buying 2 bottles. When they left the tasting room, George told Sue he had had enough to drink and it was time to find the hotel for the night.

The drive from Dundee to Salem was interesting. It was through farm land with everything from organic vegetables and wheat to mile after mile of nursery stock. As usual the road was narrow and there were a number of huge tractors coming at us. The one thing I can assure you is they are well over 102 inches, more like 10 feet wide.

We checked into the hotel around 3:30 and once settled George took a nap.

We really didn’t sleep in nor did we get up at the crack of dawn, more like 8ish. The hotel is different in that it doesn’t have a breakfast room; it sends you next door to a Denny’s with a voucher. No problem. About 9:30 we were ready to head out. The first stop is Elkton close to 100 miles away, most of it on I-5. Along the way Sue and I decided that we’ve had enough wine tasting and that after visiting Crater Lake we would head home bypassing the Oregon coast, the Sonoma Valley and Yosemite. We are both tired and the dry humidity has gotten to us.

We were unable to locate the first winery but found the second one, River’s Edge, without difficulty. Again a tiny winery that is known for its pinot noir. As usual we chose a blush wine that Sue really liked, a pinot noir dry rosé.

From there we drove south through one of Oregon’s scenic routes, a chasm that follows the Umpqua River. The very narrow road twisted and turned so much George didn’t get to appreciate the swift flowing Umpqua River but Sue did exclaiming frequently about the river and the people fishing.

The second stop was the Henry Estate Winery, a tiny winery that does not ship wines. The friendly attendant sold us his very favorite wine, Müller-Thurgau another white where the Pinot Noir is king. After tasting his wines we stopped at an organic “bakery” for lunch. Again too much food but delicious.

The next stop was supposed to be our last but, in spite of their advertising, they were closed so it was on to the next winery on the limited list of those open on Tuesday, Melrose Winery. There was a huge touring coach with 40 or 50 folks wine tasting when we arrived. We tasted three of their wines and once again chose a distinctive white wine, a Viognier, both of us thought unusual. Then it was on to the hotel after finding Roseburg’s Chamber of Commerce and the Visitor’s Center.

We found out Crater Lake is over 80 miles away, maybe even 100 miles if the north entrance isn’t open, and it takes a minimum of 2 ¼ hours to get there if you don’t stop to admire the water falls along the way.

The hotel is an old fashioned motel, a couple of 2 story building with outside entry and stairways at either end of the building for access to the second floor. Of course we are on the second floor but the room is fine. When we checked the internet we found out about the forest fires in Yosemite and they had evacuated parts of El Portal which is where we have hotel reservations. Now there is no question we are heading back to Florida after visiting Crater Lake.

We were up early and on our way around 8. Except for the first 15 miles the road twists and turns and continually climbs. It is a beautiful scenic drive and Sue was kept busy oohing and ahhing. I was kept busy keeping my eyes on the road. There are dozens of waterfalls along Rt 138 and we stopped at a couple. Sue made the half mile hike up, up being the dominant word, to one of the waterfalls while George rested in the truck. Sue decided not to do any more hikes, too arduous. This entire trip should have been done at least 15 years ago when both of us could hike up mountains, not today when George is lucky to walk 500 feet.

About 90 miles after we left the hotel we entered the north access road to the Park. 10 more miles and we turned onto the Rim Drive to go counter clockwise around the lake. At first we didn’t see much and I was beginning to wonder if I was on the right road. Then we came the first view point. Breath taking! We were very high above the Lake, probably better than 500 feet and looking into the bluest water we’ve ever seen. To top it off the clouds were reflected in the lake. That was just the beginning, one overlook after another and each and every one indescribably beautiful.

George was taken back by the lack of vehicles at the overlooks. There was plenty of parking and the road was not in the least bit crowded. We drove at a very leisurely pace and pulled off whenever we chose. The only place we ran into traffic was at the Village at the base of the Lake. There it was truly crowded and nowhere to park. There is nothing to see but the old Lodge and a gift store. What can I say?

One of the many waterfalls	A real mountain
Clouds reflected in the Lake	Looking east
Can you find the tour boat?	The Phantom Ship

We drove around for about four hours before heading back to the hotel. Tomorrow we will get up very early and start the trek back to Florida. The basic plan is to head west cross country and pick up I-80 in Nevada. Then follow it I-25 and drop down to Denver and, in Colorado Springs, visit briefly with our “bestman”. From there we will drop down to New Mexico and pick up I-40 to Oklahoma City and Memphis. From Memphis we will head for Birmingham then Macon and finally home. We should be home a week from today if everything goes according to plan.

This has been the driving day from Hell. Actually it all started last night when Sue received an e-mail from the Property Manager of our development telling Sue the mail lady told her our mail was piling up in the mail box. Sue had stopped the mail with a “hold”. Anyway after trying this morning to get the Mount Dora Post Office to answer their phone for a half hour, the Post Office finally answered and Sue explained the problem. The Post Office put Sue on hold while they checked things out, it took several minutes. Eventually they returned admitted it was their error and they would get the mail from the box and hold it at the Post Office until we picked it up.

That put us a half hour late in starting. I-5 is not what I think of an Interstate highway. It is basically a narrow, four lane divided highway with speed limit set at 65 MPH and for a good reason. It has a lot of very sharp twist and turns where 35, or at most 45, is more practical. So it was a very up tight, slow trip until we got off. Then came the back roads; extremely narrow, steep inclines and descends, twists & turns with more than a few hairpin curves and switchbacks. The posted limit was 55 but if you could do 25 you very driving too fast. And oh yes, don’t forget the blind crests. Is there a car on the other side? Does the road turn left or right? You get the idea. The driving was exhausting.

However, to give George a break, every now and then there was construction where we’d have to wait 15 or 20 minutes for the “Follow me” truck. Construction is loose gravel spread on top of hot tar. Not fun.

Finally we left Oregon and entered Nevada. Immediately the speed limit jumped to 70 MPH, the road smoothed out and, for the most part the very steep twisting roads went away. The however is that after driving almost 450 miles and within 30 miles of I-80 we came upon an accident. Two semitrailers crashed in a “road work zone” on a very narrow road. There was no way to detour around them unless you drove back 150 or so miles to begin the detour. While we were unlucky, we were also lucky. It took over 4 hours to reopen the road but Sue and I only got stuck for an hour and a quarter.

Then came several construction sites on I-80 and a fierce dust storm with winds blowing the truck around and poor visibility for about 30 miles.

Both of us are amazed at the desolation of the east side of Oregon and the north-west part of Nevada. To stay is it barren is a gross understatement. There are a few cows and maybe five homes in a 50 mile stretch, but that is all. We were not favorably impressed.

It was a long day but we arrived safely in Elko. Tomorrow will be easier I hope.

When we were trying to figure out where to stop for the night we found a large number of hotels in Elko and figured it must be a good place to stop. What we didn’t know was it is a casino mecca. There must have been a dozen huge casinos in the town. One of them had a restaurant and that is where we ate. Of course to get to the restaurant you had to pass through the casino and the very thick cigarette smoke. Gross! Across the street was another very large hotel with the second largest casino. We had forgotten we were in Nevada where gambling is a big business.

I had forgotten today was a 23 hour day because we were going into Utah and Mountain Time. We left the hotel a little before 7:30 knowing it was more than 650 miles to Cheyenne and I had hoped to arrive about 5, then I remembered the time zone change.

Driving on I-80 in Nevada was boring but not nearly as boring as the first 50 miles in Utah. The road was as flat as a pancake, absolutely straight as an arrow with either salt evaporation beds on the right and salt flats on the left. Nothing else. It is the introduction to Utah that gets you. When I think of Utah I think of the Mormons and their very strict religion. As you enter Utah on I-80 you pass a couple of huge billboards, one advertising a casino and the other promoting a bar that offers lap dances for $10. Somehow that doesn’t seem to go with what I expect.

Once again Sue and I are reminded that this area is very arid and not much grows under those conditions and it is desolate. Until just outside Cheyenne we really didn’t see more than 100 trees. We did see lots of snow fencing to the south of the highway and signs indicating the road gets closed during the winter. Toward the eastern side of Wyoming we began to see windmills, hundreds of them.

The actual driving was relatively easy; not too many hills and all with wide sweeping curves. The exception was Salt Lake City where driving is taking your life into your hands plus the steep climbs and descends with sharp curves and crazy drivers. The speed limit in many places was 80 MPH. The rest was 75 with a lower speed in the road construction areas. All in all we made good time and arrived at the hotel a little before 6 Mountain Time.

The hotel recommended a restaurant in the center of town but because of it being a Friday night, the wait was over an hour and no room at the bar so we decided to go back to the hotel and the Outback near it. Finding the driveway to the Outback was a real challenge. We end up on I-25 before we eventually found the entrance road. The wait was less and we found a place at the bar. As usual the food wasn’t that good. When will we learn not to eat at an Outback?

The plan was to meet Nelson Kent, our Best Man, in Colorado Springs for lunch. We figured if we left the hotel at 9 we’d be in Colorado Springs by noon. We left at 8:54 so we had plenty of time. Well, not exactly. First the traffic going into Denver was extremely heavy but moving along nicely. Several miles before the stadium the traffic came to an abrupt halt. There had been an accident on our side of the highway that was in the process of being cleared. Next was the traffic going to the stadium. Another zoo. Then for no apparent reason the traffic on I-25 south of Castle Rock once again came to a standstill for about 10 miles. When it finally broke up, we couldn’t see any reason for the stoppage.

In spite of it all, we got together with Nelson right on time, a little before noon, and followed him through the main street in downtown Colorado Springs and out to the Golden Bee, a very nice restaurant. For the next two or so hours we exchanged tales while enjoying a nice lunch. It really was good to see Nelson and he looks great.

After lunch we got back on I-25 and headed south. We ended up stopping in Raton, New Mexico; once again a tiny town with a large number of motels. We stayed in a large Best Western in an old fashion two story motel with outside access to the rooms. This time we were fortunate, we got the last room, a handicap accessible room on the first floor of the building next door. The motel had a restaurant and bar in the main building and that was where we ate.

The plan for tomorrow is to go over the back roads to Amarillo, Texas and pick up I-40 to a small town in Oklahoma by the name of Checotah. That will be just about a third of the way home.

We were up early and actually left Raton just about 6:30 Mountain Time. My plan was to stop for a nice breakfast in Amarillo before the church crowd got to the nice breakfast restaurants. I figured it was a three hour drive over the isolated back roads and we’d be there 9:30 or so.

The roads were as isolated as expected but there were of a couple of small towns with giant grain elevators that we passed through. Another observation we made was the amount of railroad freight train traffic there appears to be in the western US. This morning alone we saw three extremely long freight trains and it seems to us that there are very long freight trains in all the western states. It was not unusual for us to see a dozen trains each day we were traveling cross country between points.

I forgot that Texas is in Central Time so we arrived just before 11, instead on 10, at the Cracker Barrel on I-40 in Amarillo. It was packed but we decided to wait the 30 to 40 minutes. It wasn’t that long and we did have a nice breakfast.

The scenery changed dramatically during today’s drive. When we started out in New Mexico the land was very flat and, with the exception of some low grass, barren with almost no homes or ranches. However we did see a large herd of deer grazing by the road side. By the time we passed Oklahoma City there were deciduous trees and rolling hills and it was much more populated; much like you’d expect to see in New England.

The driving was very boring. Between Raton and Amarillo, 200 miles, we hardly saw a car or truck. Then there was a lot of traffic in Amarillo but other than near a major city, traffic was sparse. We made pretty good time. We arrived at the hotel, covering about 600 miles, at 5:30, 10 clock hours due to the time zone change. It turned out the hotel was actually in Muskogee, which is about 20 miles up the road and away from I-80 and Checotah. When you consider breakfast took about an hour so, we covered 600 miles in about 9 hours, not bad at all thanks to a mostly 75 MPH speed limit.

The drive to Birmingham should be our last long day, about 625 miles, and we were on our way at a little before 7 AM. What a difference a day makes; the traffic is quite heavy probably partly due to it being Monday and partly due to the area being much more populated. Sunday there wasn’t any real problem with road construction as the traffic was light and no one was working. Today it is a very different story.

The first third of the trip was easy and we covered the first 200 plus miles in 3 hours at a little over 70 MPH. The section between Little Rock to Memphis was one road project after another narrowing to a single lane. When we got off for lunch, it was a long detour over local roads before we could get back on the interstate but we finally crossed the Mississippi and we were in Memphis, Tennessee. In order to get to Birmingham we had to use local roads for the first 12 or so miles. What a mess; stop lights ever other block, trucks by the hundreds (we drove by the area where Burlington-Northern & the Santa Fee load the trailer containers onto flatcars) and roads where the City never bother to raise the manhole covers when they repaved the road.

Finally we got onto US 78, a limited access road in Mississippi that will become I-22 someday. When we crossed into Alabama the road became I-22. The however is near Jasper, AL we were detoured off I-22 onto the local road that goes through the city. The detour, through the retail/commercial area, lasted for about 15 miles. That meant that we arrived in Birmingham at the height of rush hour traffic. Since the hotel was only a couple of miles to the east of the city we did arrive at the Hampton Inn around 5:15, not bad considering.

Interestingly the nearest restaurant to the hotel was over 8 miles awa where along with dozens of fast food places there was a Ruby Tuesday’s. By the time we returned to the hotel it was time for George to hit the sack.

We knew it was our last day and that it was 125 miles from Leeds, AL to I-75 in Atlanta. We also knew, from experience that you really don’t want to be on I-75 until after the morning commuter traffic has eased, therefore we left at about 7 AM expecting to get to I-75 about 9:30/10. The timing was good but the traffic was extremely heavy, mostly trucks.

We made very good time between Birmingham and Atlanta, OK time between Atlanta and Macon and good time the rest of the way home. We made three stops, rest area, gas and lunch and arrived home about 5. Very good time considering, almost 70 MPH over the 550 miles.

Everything was fine with the house and by 6 the A/C had been turned down, the water back on, the ice cube maker back on (we did have enough ice cubes for a couple of drinks) and the PC up and working. George was in bed by 9:30 and Sue much later.

All in all, we are happy we did the trip and wished we had done 10 or so years ago. We learned a lot and the western US has made an impression on us.

Wednesday morning I took the truck over to the full service car wash. They did a real good job and the month’s worth of dirt and grim was gone and I had a shiny new truck once again. I also filled the tank for the last time of the trip. Thursday I took the truck in for service, it just needed to have the oil changed and tires rotated. The truck behaved like an angel and never gave us a concern in spite of the conditions it was traveling in.

Some statics from the trip –

Miles driven – 8,840; MPG – 17.436; Avg price/gal - $3.633; Most expensive gas – Alberta - $4.699/gal, least expensive –Oklahoma, $3.249

Avg hotel room rate - $175.21 (Used only Best Western and Hampton Inns)